ROCKY ADVENTURE – Elementary, My Dear Doggy

Porch Potty: Rocky Adventures

It was a soggy day outside with no sign of sunshine in the upcoming forecast. It has not hindered my friends from paying me a visit and carrying out our weekly play schedule, though. It’s a regular event, and basically a precious ritual that we all look forward to. Our party has recently grown with the addition of Buck. Now it’s the three of us, along with the sneaky onlooker, Thieves, that have all gathered for some fun activities and a few laps around the house.

Inconveniently, we’re forced to play a slightly different game today.

I eyed each of my suspects questionably while I laid down the facts of the case in hand. There was no question about it- someone had taken the cookie, my cookie, off the table. The old man always sets one on the edge of the table specifically for me. But when I checked, there were only crumbs to inform me that a crime had been committed and that the culprit must be brought to justice.

My first suspect, and most likely was Thieves the raccoon with his quick fingers and clever guile. He was just quick enough to get the job done right under our noses. “You did it, didn’t you!” I accused.

“Mama!” Thieves offered his one worded defense that was as predictable as a ball is to bounce. I realized at once that I wasn’t going to get much out of him and would have to move on to the other suspects.

In truth, the accusation had been an effort of misdirection. Thieves, though clever enough to have pulled it off, had been cuddled up with Christy all afternoon and in the presence of Debbie and the old man that were defined as solid and undeniable witnesses to his whereabouts. No, it was definitely one of these two dogs. But, finding out which one it is would be a matter of how well I can play my bones.

“You,” I eyed Buck with my most accusatory stare possible, “Where were you while I was going potty? I had stepped outside to take care of my necessaries, leaving you with plenty of opportunity alone with my cookie.”

Buck’s eyes twitched anxiously towards Izzy. “Well, I was chasing the ball with Izzy when it rolled into the forbidden bedroom. I know I’m not supposed to go in there, but Izzy pushed me towards the door, and tried to convince me everything would be okay. When I wouldn’t go in….”

“No, we’re not supposed to go in there. You know that, Izzy. I’m a good dog and there’s no way I would break the rules of my good friend Rocky’s house.” Of course, Izzy was far too wild-natured to simply leave the ball in the forbidden bedroom, so he proceeded to “persuade” me.

“I need you to go in there right this very moment and get that ball or else.” Izzy’s eyes went all wild and crazy to accompany the blur of commands.

“But…” was all I could get out as Izzy pushed me into the room and pulled the door closed. I quickly found myself trapped with no way out.

“I did no such thing!” Izzy interrupted.

“Let him finish.” I cut Izzy off. Then I motioned for Buck to continue.

“Well, that’s about it, after I was locked in, and I have no idea what Izzy did or could have done.” Buck closed off his version of the story with an innocent shrug.

“That’s not how it happened at all,” Izzy rolled his eyes, “I’ll tell you what really happened…”

The ball bounced wildly down the hallway, both Buck and I in fast pursuit. Of course, I let Buck beat me to the end to build up some of his self-esteem, but what I didn’t realize was that the end of the line was deep inside the forbidden bedroom. I’m well aware that we’re not supposed to go in there, and there’s no way that I would ever violate the rules of my good friend Rocky’s home.

Buck, on the other hand, is still new to the family and probably wasn’t as clearly versed on what the rules are. So, he did what any dog would have done in the same situation.

“I got it,” he shouted as he rushed through the doorway. Ironically, that hard-slapping tail of his whacked the door and pushed it shut behind, locking him inside.

“What happened after that?” I demanded from Izzy after the two of them had calmed down.

Izzy huffed and continued, “Well, of course I was worried about my friend, so I had dashed down the hall to find help. But, by the time I got back, the door was wide open and Buck was nowhere to be found. I have no idea where he went or what he was doing.”

And that left me right back at square one. Neither one of them would budge on their stories of which both had more holes than my backyard. This case was going to be far more difficult to solve than I previously thought.

That’s when Christy walked in, carrying Thieves…and munching on my cookie. Thieves looked at me and smiled. “Mama!” He confirmed the culprit and pointed at the cookie she had stolen from me. I just shook my head, shocked at my bungled efforts. It was all an elementary matter, and I had completely overlooked the truth that was right in front of me the whole time.

Author:

Jason Duron is a short story writer and author of several fiction stories. Curious and lovable as dogs can be, the Adventures of Rocky give you a chance to see daily life from a “dog’s eye view” and share in their thoughts. Please enjoy, and we hope that you’ll feel free to comment and give us insight into your dog’s very own “rocky” adventures.